Graffiti in the wrong place is a major eyesore. Driving down residential and commercial streets littered with spray paint across private property is vandalism and destruction.
Let Them Thrive
What can be done so as not to punish graffiti artists but instead let them thrive?
My administration will be creating Oregon’s “Gigantic Graffiti Wall”.
This will be a safe place for those who feel the need to tag or have some creativity within them and need a place to showcase their graffiti art. Many graffiti taggers turned muralists have gone on to have a successful career. Let’s give them a platform to start.
A Public Attraction
The problem today is kids don’t have a way to let out their aggression and their creativity. The GGW will provide an opportunity to allow kids to do what they are going to do anyway but without destroying property. Let’s not demonize them….let’s nurture it. Let it become a public attraction. A cultural phenomenon. Oregon art in its rawest form.
Remember what skateboarders did before city council finally started creating city-wide skate-parks? No matter what the law said, they still skated anywhere and everywhere no matter what damage it caused. I was one of those skateboarding kids. I was a sponsored skateboarder at a young age and when there is no where else to go, then everywhere was your skate park. Point is, let’s give graffiti artists somewhere to go.
Promoting Graffiti
As governor, my administration will create multiple state-wide walls that are meant to promote graffiti art in a safe and allowable space and to help prevent graffiti where it doesn’t belong: private property. We will prioritize the cities and neighborhoods that are heavily vandalized.
On The Flip Side
Those caught vandalizing in areas not meant for graffiti will have a mandatory 100 hours graffiti clean-up. There will be zero tolerance for destruction of private property.
City-wide graffiti clean-up will go into full effect in places not meant to be tagged. It is time to rid our blocks of this vandalism.
Additionally, graffiti education and awareness will go into effect in middle and high schools. Much more than it currently is. Clearly it is not working.
It’s time to look outside the box. It’s time for Oregon’s Gigantic Graffiti Wall.